Scales › bebop minor (Dorian bebop)

bebop minor (Dorian bebop) scale

bebop minor (Dorian + 3)

bebop minor (Dorian bebop) on the guitar: the fretboard diagram

Here is the bebop minor (Dorian bebop) scale laid out across the whole neck, from fret 0 to fret 15. The guide tones (3rd and 7th) are highlighted — they're what makes the scale's color sing. Use the key selector above to shift the shape along the neck and find the positions in your key.

What color?

Dorian plus the major third as a passing tone between the b3 and the eleventh: eight notes that smooth out eighth-note phrasing over a minor chord. Slides from the b3 to the 3 bebop-style.

Origin & history

A "bebop" scale built on the Dorian: a chromatic passing tone ensures that the chord tones fall on the strong beats. A phrasing tool inherited from the bebop of the 1940s.

Which chords to play it on?

The jazz consensus (Aebersold) recommends it on:

Try it in a real chart

Paste a chord chart into the tool: Pentania tells you, chord by chord, when this scale fits — and what other colors are open to you. Open the tool →